The present invention concerns seat assemblies for cycles, more particularly, seat assemblies adapted to be mounted on the frame of a motorcycle and provide a seat and support for the operator and, optionally, a passenger.
Cycle seats which provide a padded seating pad and back rest supported on a structural frame or base are known, as shown for example in U.S. Pat. No. 3,269,773. This patent also shows a tiered seat of such construction providing a first seat for the cycle operator and a second seat for a passenger.
The provision of safety bars on such seat assemblies is also known as illustrated by U.S. Pat. No. 3,741,596. This latter patent also illustrates the provision of an outer wear covering over the seat pad as well as the provision of a pattern design worked into the seat cover for decorative purposes.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,586,369 shows a cycle in which a top layer of a quilting material is heat-sealed in a die to provide a quilted appearance to the outer quilting layer to provide a seat having a quilted or tufted design effect. U.S. Pat. No. D. 238,988, assigned to the assignee of the present application, also shows a design worked into the outer covering of a cycle seat.
Finally, U.S. Pat. No. 3,927,727, assigned to the assignee of the present application, shows a seat and fairing assembly which is provided with hinges and latching means so that the assembly may be pivoted about its longitudinal axis between a lowered locked position and a raised unlocked position on the frame of the cycle to which the seat assembly is attached.
The feature of a pivotable seat is convenient since it provides access to the components of the cycle, such as the battery and other electrical system components, normally hidden by the seat, without the necessity of dismantling and subsequently replacing the seat. The removal and subsequent replacement of conventional fastening means such as nuts, bolts, etc. is obviously more complicated and time consuming than the simple unlatching and pivoting of a hinged seat and subsequent closing and relatching thereof.
One difficulty with prior art design has been that the feature of a pivotable seat, while highly convenient, has the drawback that it precludes the utilization of a safety bar and accessories such as luggage racks since the latter structures would normally interfere with the pivoting movement of the seat assembly. Thus, with prior art design it was necessary to either forego the convenient pivotable seat feature on the one hand, or the safety bar and/or luggage rack features on the other.
Another difficulty with prior art assemblies is the difficulty and complexity of added steps of manufacture necessary to provide a sculpted design in the seating pad.
It is accordingly an object of the present invention to provide a novel seat assembly design which includes a safety bar and luggage rack which is nonetheless freely pivotably moveable between a lowered locked position on the cycle frame and a raised unlocked position.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a seat assembly for a cycle which provides a seating cushion and a back cushion supported on a structural saddle with a safety bar and luggage rack affixed to the seat assembly and so dimensioned as not to interfere with pivoting movement of said seat assembly about its longitudinal axis on the frame of the cycle to which it is affixed.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a seat assembly for mounting on a cycle which seat assembly includes a seating pad having a sculpted design outer surface and an outer covering thereover which is conformed to the sculpted design.
Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from a consideration of the following description thereof.